Virtual Writers' Room

The Virtual Writers’ Room is a collaborative effort between Saint Xavier University pre-service English teachers enrolled in the Teaching of Writing of course and high school students. Using technology called "MOO," the Virtual Writing Room will enable high school students and pre-service teachers to meet and discuss writing, through writing. The benefits of this collaboration are numerous, not only for the high school students and the pre-service teachers, but also for Saint Xavier University and in-service classroom teachers at Bloom High School.

Desired student outcomes of the Virtual Writers’ Room (VWR) include the following:

• Improved writing through the benefit of individualized feedback on writing assignments.
• Improved writing though the additional practice gained from participation in the VWR.
• Improved appreciation for and practice in the process of revision.
• Improved understanding of writing as a process.
• Improved fluency in student writing.
• Improved sense of audience for the high school writer by having opportunities to write for an audience other than the classroom teacher or classmates.
• Improved writing through conferences with a writing tutor.
• Improved understanding of how a community of writers all working together learns about writing as a craft and a social process.
• Improved ability in using technology.
• Improved understanding of how technology can be used for building professional relationships.

In sum, the high school students will reap the benefits of individual academic attention, particularly in the areas of revision, audience, and process. The other program participants will benefit in significant ways as well:

• The pre-service teachers will have a quality clinical experience, in which they interact with real students in a productive way and put into practice the theories taught in the class (especially conferencing and certain attitudes toward teaching writing).
• Pre-service teachers will keep copies of MOO transcripts, to demonstrate their skills as mentors in their final webfolio.
• The university professor will have documentation of similar clinical experiences among all students.
• High school in-service teachers will gain technology skills in ways that could be documented for professional development purposes.
• High school teachers will gain assistance in the very demanding task of responding to student writing and mentoring students on an individual basis.
• Saint Xavier University will benefit by establishing a professional connection in accordance with university’s mission to contribute service to the community.

Questions and Answers about the Virtual Writers’ Room

How will students participate?

Students will be assigned usernames and passwords in order to log into the SXU MOO at http://english.sxu.edu:8888. (Until students receive their login information, they can log in as "guests.") Once logged in, students will proceed to the "English Wing," and from there to the "Teaching of Writing Offices," a general meeting place where they can discuss writing concerns with any tutors logged in at the time. From the "Teaching of Writing Offices," students may proceed to a specified mentor’s "office"--a room designed and owned by the student’s mentor. There the student can post a draft of a paper, read responses that the mentor has posted earlier, or converse with the mentor if she happens to be logged in at the time.

When will the VWR be staffed?

The VWR will be staffed at regular times throughout the week by pre-service teachers. The specific times the VWR is staffed will be mutually agreed on by the high school and university instructors.

Will students only be able to receive assistance at the specified times the VWR is staffed?

No. Students will be able to post drafts of their work at the VWR at virtually any time. Upon posting, the student can send his or her mentor an email to request a response to the posted draft or an actual conference at some mutually agreed on time in the VWR.

What kind of writing should high school students bring to the VWR?

The VWR could provide useful assistance to high school students and teachers for a variety of types of assignments. The writing that is brought to the VWR may be assignments students are working on for their English or other classes; they may be assignments or projects the mentor and mentee decide to engage on; or they may be projects (e.g., a journal) that the high school and university instructors mutually agree to develop and assign.

What technology skills will students and teachers need to participate in the VWR?

Participants in the VWR will need basic Web browsing skills. In addition, some basic MOO communication and movement skills will be required. These skills include the ability to speak and to "emote." For those interested, the development of MOO skills can proceed to "building" and even programming (all of which bring rich opportunities for writing instruction and development). But for the most part, knowing how to speak in the VWR is the only crucial new skill participants (who already know how to use Web browsers) will need to learn.

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